Class!) S / 3 f 

R<iok.f-"tiH4- 

DOBELL COLLECTION 




THE LATE MICHAEL HENRY. 



THE LATE 



MICHAEL HENRY. 



OBITUARY NOTICES, 
LETTERS OE CONDOLENCE, 

AND OTHER MEMENTOES. 



PRIX TED FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION. 



* 1 , > I ' 

LONDON : 

PRINTED BY J. M, JOHNSON & SONS, Limited. 
56, Hatton Garden. 



205449 
5 13 



TO 

LIONEL VAN OVEN, 

THE OLDEST AND MOST VALUED 
FRIEND OF 

THE LATE MICHAEL HENRY, 

THIS SHORT SERIES OF 

OBITUARY NOTICES, 
LETTERS OF CONDOLENCE, 
AND OTHER MEMENTOES, 

COLLECTED AND COMPILED BY HIS AFFECTIONATE BROTHER, 

RICHARD L. HENRY, 

IS 

DEDICATED, 

WITH THE WARMEST FEELINGS OF 

FRIENDSHIP AND REGARD. 



8 



Dedication. 



My dear Lionel, 

To you, as the oldest and most 
valued Friend of my late and much lamented 
Brother, Michael Henry, I dedicate this 
Collection of Letters of Condolence sent to 
his Family, and Biographical Notices written 
on the occasion of his most unfortunate and 
sudden death. 

I never knew until too late how much 
he was appreciated by the Jewish Commu- 
nity, nor until a short time before his death 
was I at all aware how hard he laboured 
in all social and religious matters, for the 
benefit and improvement of our co-religionists. 

Circumstances known only to you and 
two or three others brought my lamented 
and much beloved brother and myself very 
closely in contact with each other during 
the last few months of his life, and it was 
not until then that I became aware of his 



Dedication. 



9 



total abnegation of Self, and his devoted- 
ness to the interests of our Community. 

It is the knowledge that I now have of 
the nature of his labours that has induced 
me to collect these gratifying memorials in 
recognition of his merits, and it is your 
very intimate acquaintance with his feelings 
and his character that has been another 
reason why I should dedicate this collection 
to you. 

My impression with these ideas must be 
my apology for addressing you without your 
knowledge upon a subject that is so deeply 
engraven on my heart, and I am sure you 
will appreciate this trifling tribute to his 
memory. 

Believe me, 

My dear Lionel, 
Faithfully yours, 

Richard L. Henry. 

To Lionel Van Oven, Esq. 



OBITUARY 



NOTICES. 



"Jewish Chronicle," June 18, 1875. 

DEATH OF MR. MICHAEL HENRY. 
Bowed down grief-stricken and with a trembling hand, 
we trace these lines. Alas ! the blow is so heavy, so 
sudden, that our fingers almost refuse us their services. 

Last evening (we write this on Wednesday night) 
the popular, amiable, most kind-hearted and truly reli- 
gious Editor of this paper — Michael Henry — full of hope 
and high and noble aspirations, still moved cheerfully in 
the land of the living ; and this evening — we can hardly 
realize it to ourselves — his body lies on the ground stiff 
and cold — a corpse. The news of his dissolution quickly 
followed that of the sad accident which had befallen 
him. His clothes accidently caught fire, and he suc- 
cumbed to the terrible shock which his delicate nervous 
system thereby sustained. He closed his earthly career 



I 2 



in the prime of life — at the age of forty-five — precisely 
at the period when his fine mental powers were at their 
zenith ; when the performances of the past held out 
bright promises of still greater achievements in the 
future. 

All that have seen this genial face beaming with 
benevolence, and this high forehead the seat of a chaste, 
almost feminine imagination, and a manly, vigourous 
intellect, will carry with them the images thereof through 
life. And well does he deserve to be remembered ; for 
in his bosom beat a truly Jewish philanthropic heart, 
profoundly sympathising with all that was great and 
good. It was the seat of a soul almost virginal in its 
purity, transparent like the crystal. 

It is not our intention this week to write his obituary. 
If we would, we could not. At this moment we cannot 
think. We can only feel — feel for ourselves, feel for the 
bereaved family, feel for the community to which he 
clung with every fibre of a heart overflowing with affec- 
tion, and to which he had endeared himself by extra- 
ordinary devotion to its cause, and by rare services 
rendered to it. At this moment we can only mourn, 
mourn, mourn, over the woful loss sustained by all of us ! 
Next week, no doubt, more competent hands and loving 
hearts will undertake the sad task of doing justice to the 
memory of this much beloved and much respected 
righteous man. 



The late Michael Henry. 



13 



Ascend then to Heaven thou pure spirit ! Thou wast 
too good for this sinful world ! Go receive thy reward 
at the hands of thy Maker whom thou so faithfully ser- 
vedst from childhood. Thine the gain, ours the loss. 
Thine the bliss of eternity, ours the grief in our span of 
life. , 



"Jewish World," June 18, 1875. 

The whole community will learn with profound 
sorrow of the demise of Mr. Michael Henry, who for 
some years, and up to the time of his death, edited 
our contemporary the Jewish Chronicle. On Tuesday 
evening, while at his office in Fleet Street, his attire 
accidently became ignited by fire ; and although every 
effort was exerted to stay the progress of the flames, 
it was found that he had sustained most fearful injuries. 
He was removed to his private residence in Argyll 
Square, where, after lingering about twenty-four hours, 
he succumbed to his terrible agonies on Wednesday 
evening. 

The limited time at our disposal precludes us 
from giving more than the briefest details touching the 
melancholy event. The great esteem in which deceased 
was universally held by every individual with whom he 
came into contact, either in his private or professional 



The late Michael Henry. 



capacity, is a matter generally known, and his untimely 
death will cast a gloom in all circles of the Anglo- 
Jewish community. 

Mr. Henry had not yet attained his 45th year. 

It is expected that the funeral will take place on 
Sunday next. 



" North British Advertiser axd Journal." 



TO THE EDITOR. 

Some years ago you inserted a notice of the death of 
the mother of this distinguished man, whose untimely 
loss to the Jewish community has been deplored by the 
Jewish press and the Jewish preachers in London — the 
scene of his busy and useful life. A Scotch Editor 
and Presbyterian, familiar with his writings, pays the 
impartial tribute to his memory which I subjoin. Mr. 
M. Henry, though a " Hebrew of the Hebrews," was a 
patriotic Englishman and a friend of the whole human 
race. He combined in himself the genius and moral 
qualities which go to constitute the clever litterateur, the 
candid controversialist, the man of business, the untiring 
but retiring philanthropist, the faithful friend, the loving 
son, and affectionate brother. I have often regretted 
that those great qualities which still distinguish the 
illustrious race from which he sprang, and of which he 
was so justly proud, are so little known and appreciated 



The late Michael Henry. 



15 



in the northern part of the island. The south has 
abandoned much of her ancient prejudices, for instead 
of being governed by members of great historical 
families, she now consents to be ruled by one in whose 
veins flow only Jewish blood, and who has reached 
his proud position by his own unaided but commanding 
genius. P. S. 



LETTER FROM A SCOTCH EDITOR. 

" Formerly a journalist in one of the large towns of 
England, where there was a numerous Jewish com- 
munity, the Jewish Chronicle came constantly under my 
notice for several years. I was particularly struck with 
the character of the editorial articles in it. They 
invariably exhibited a remarkable breadth of human 
sympathy in combination with an unusually clear and 
vigorous understanding. I was not then aware that the 
writer was the late Michael Henry, whose melancholy 
death not only deprives his co-religionists of one of the 
brightest ornaments of their faith, but one of the most 
serious losses I have ever known to the denominational 
literature of this country. Deeply religious, he was yet 
one of those rare men who soar above creeds, embracing 
all goodness in their sweep. Men who are, as it were, 
the property of the whole world, and whose candour, 
justice, and impartiality are respected and admired when 
their conclusions are very often rejected." 



The late Michael Henry. 



" Jewish Chronicle," June 25, 1875. 



When some days ago it became our melancholy duty 
to announce the death of the much lamented Michael 
Henry, we had only strength to utter a cry of anguish. 
A week has since elapsed. The dead has been buried 
out of sight, earth returned to earth. We have in the 
interval been enabled to realise to ourselves the woful 
loss sustained. The stunning effect of the blow is 
wearing off, and the power of reflection gradually 
coming back, and we ask ourselves : What is the hidden 
spring of this general mourning, of this bitter grief, which 
so profoundly agitates the mind of the whole Anglo-Jew- 
ish community ? This community has unfortunately sus- 
tained before severe losses by the death of still younger 
men of uncommon promise and considerable perform- 
ance. There was the late Barnett Abrahams cut off in 
the prime of life in the midst of a most useful and 
benevolent career ; and if not as suddenly, still more 
prematurely. There was the late Numa Hartog, a 
fragrant blossom nipped before even the bud was 
formed. Great was the sympathy exhibited on those 
occasions. Nevertheless it must be admitted it equalled 
neither in depth nor in breadth that just now so power- 
fully stirring up the soul of the metropolitan Jewish 
community. 

What, we ask again, was the hidden spring of this 



The late Michael Henry. 



17 



profound and universal emotion ? It was not fas- 
cinating or imposing personal appearance. It was not 
rank or wealth, for the deceased was not a scion of any 
of those leading families to whom the mere accident of 
birth already secures a certain social position, nor was 
he born, as the proverb has it, with a silver spoon in his 
mouth. He was essentially a self-made man. He shone 
neither by a towering genius nor commanding elo- 
quence which often carry away, and in one single 
moment achieve triumphs which talent, vigour of intel- 
lect, and an unspotted integrity not rarely fail to 
accomplish in the course of a long and laborious life. 

The secret which gave the deceased this power over 
our emotional side we unhesitatingly say was his pro- 
foundly sympathetic nature, and the genuine kind- 
heartedness reflected not only by an uncommonly 
benevolent countenance, but by every word he uttered, 
every gesture which accompanied it, and every act he 
performed. It was not less the act itself than the mode 
in which it was performed. The sincere joy which 
lighted up his face when he could serve, giving to a 
favour shown the appearance of one received, as well 
as the regret depicted on his whole being when he could 
not render the service solicited, were equally character- 
istic of the goodness of his heart, and consequently 
whether granting or refusing equally gained him the 
regard of those concerned. He was much beloved 



i8 



The late Michael Henry. 



because he loved much. His soul resembled a limpid 
pool ; you could see down to its very depth and perceive 
every emotion as it flitted across or settled down in a 
permanent form. His was a magnetic soul which 
sympathetically drew to itself everything that was good 
and noble. You could not but admire a capacity to 
work and a willingness to serve, such as only mark minds 
of a superior order. You could not but love a simplicity 
so childlike that it was all but incapable to suspect 
guile ; and you could not but respect a character as 
firm in its grasp of what was just and good, as per- 
severing and undaunted in the execution of its behests 
however arduous the task. He exercised an irresistible 
charm over the minds of all those with whom he came 
into contact, evoked and roused their better self from 
the depth in which it happened to slumber, simply be- 
cause they instinctively felt that they had before them 
one of those unsophisticated genuine natures — Heaven's 
choicest and noblest works — which loved goodness for 
goodness sake, and over which the seductive attractions 
of evanescent gratification, so irresistible to the gene- 
rality of mankind, had lost their power. 

If hypocrisy be the homage which vice renders to 
virtue, what must be the tribute which the genuine sen- 
timent pays to it ? And who that has witnessed the 
profound general sorrow, that has listened to the touch- 
ing expression given it from the pulpit, at public meet- 



The late Michael Henry, 



19 



ings, and indeed at every gathering, whether of a public 
or private character, that has seen the large grave funeral 
procession as it wound along, the sad faces and tear- 
dimmed eyes of the beloved charges of the deceased — 
the boys of the Stepney School — heard the quivering 
tremulous voice of the officiating minister, and the loud 
sobs as the cold clods of earth rolled over the coffin in 
the grave, — who, we say, witnessing and hearing all this, 
could have doubted the genuineness and depth of the 
feeling which the melancholy event stirred up in every 
heart ? 

But while indulging in this just grief, let us not neg- 
lect to derive such lessons from the bereavement as its 
consideration is capable of yielding. It is, in the first 
place, another exemplification of the superiority of heart 
over head, of sentiment over intellect. " One touch of 
nature makes the whole world kin." What hero, what 
genius could have received such tribute of sympathy as 
was paid at this grave ? It, in the second place, fur- 
nishes a gratifying proof that, however materialistic the 
age 3 and however prevalent utilitarian views, idealism is 
not quite extinct, at least not in the Jewish community, 
and the capability of appreciating pure spiritual worth 
has happily not yet been obliterated amongst us ; since 
no consideration which mere earthly distinction is able 
to confer could have called forth the voluntary tokens 
of love and marks of respect bestowed upon the remains 

B 



20 



The late Michael Henry. 



of this humble, unpretending pilgrim at the premature 
close of his career. 

And while acknowledging the rare worth of the 
departed, the beneficent effect of his activity in the 
community, while endeavouring to fix for life his be- 
loved image in our souls, shall nothing be done to 
perpetuate his memory amongst us ? Shall his memory, 
like a meteor illuming the sky for a moment, be 
allowed to sink for ever in the night of oblivion ? Shall 
nothing testify to our children this bright passage over 
our communal horizon? There are those among our 
leading men who have known how to appreciate his 
worth. There are those who were associated with him 
in his labours and shared his aspirations. Let them but 
speak the word, and all classes of the community will 
cheerfully rally round them. Give but the signal, and a 
monument will rise to his memory, such as he would 
have approved could he but have been consulted ; such 
as would show that we were worthy of him ; such as 
would link the present to the future — such as would 
encourage our children to emulate the model presented 
to them in the days of their fathers. 



"Jewish Chronicle," June 25, 1875. 



The following sketch of the life of the late lamented 
Michael Henry has been forwarded to us. It is the 



The late Michael Henry. 



composition of one who was from childhood intimately 
associated with the deceased, and who had early in life 
learned to appreciate his worth, to admire his talents 
and love his virtues. 

Michael Henry was born at Kennington, on the 19th 
of February, 1830. His father was a merchant; his 
mother a lady of more than ordinary attainments, well 
read and highly educated. He had scarcely completed 
his third year when the family (of whom he was the 
youngest) removed to Ramsgate, on account of his 
father's declining health. 

At a very early age he showed evidence of genius 
and poetical imagination far beyond his years, and it 
was deemed necessary to prevent him from pursuing any 
studies, lest he should overtax his strength. He how- 
ever managed to acquire a larger amount of knowledge 
than most of his companions, and when about six years 
old, used to astonish visitors at the house by the extent 
and variety of his information, his favourite plaything 
was a terrestial globe, and his favourite amusement to 
write scraps of poetry which, even at that early age, he 
did with amazing facility. When eight years old he was 
sent to a school at Ramsgate, where he made great pro- 
gress, and where he remained for two years. Immediately 
after his father's death in April, 1840, the family came to 
London, and his education then began at the City of 
London School, at which he was a scholar for four years. 



22 



The late Michael Henry, 



In June, 1844, he left school, and was sent to a sister 
then residing in Paris, where a situation in a counting 
house had been offered to him ; but it soon became 
evident that he could not content himself with the 
ordinary routine of a commercial office ; and as the 
limited means at his mother's disposal necessitated his 
contributing something towards his own support, he 
accepted with pleasure an offer to enter the office of the 
late James Robertson, Patent Agent, and Editor of the 
Mechanics' Magazine. 

In the semi-scientific and literary employment there 
he took great pleasure, and whilst he remained in that 
situation he assisted mainly in the Editor's department. 
Some time after the death of Mr. Robertson he resolved 
to establish a business as Patent Agent on his own 
account, which he commenced in 1857, and carried on 
up to the period of his death. 

In the course of time he began to assist Dr. Benisch 
in his editorial labours in connection with this journal, 
and upon the retirement of that gentleman in 1868, 
became its editor. By the manner in which he filled 
that difficult and responsible post, he won the esteem 
and regard not only of his coadjutors, but of the Jewish 
public generally. Such is a brief outline of his life, and 
it is a tale easily told. It is far more difficult to convey 
to our readers an adequate idea of his unselfish character 
and of his many noble and praiseworthy acts. 



The late Michael Henry. 



23 



His mind was essentially poetic and his earnest faith 
in the principles of Judaism was remarkable. From his 
earliest years he not only wrote poetry with ease, but 
when a lad of nine years old he composed prayers for 
his own use on various occasions. In 1836 (when he 
was six years old) there was a fearful storm at Ramsgate, 
and he saw a shipwreck from the windows of the house. 
He was terrified at the occurrence and wrote as follows : — 

" No more, no more the sea is calm, 
The ships now sound a deaf alarm, 
The barques do roll in every form, 
Such is the raging of the storm ; 
Oh God ! I offer prayers to Thee, 
To stop the raging of the sea." 

In 1843 (when 13 years of age) he visited some friends at 
Boulogne, and wrote there a short novel dealing humor- 
ously with the incidents which occur to English travellers 
abroad ; the reading of this from day to day amused the 
whole party, and some of the ideas and characteristic 
sketches still retain their hold on the memory of those 
who survive. His writings of this class and other 
humorous sketches would fill volumes, and few who read 
his later productions could imagine that in his youth he 
possessed such a fund of genuine humour and sharp 
satire. His love of charity was so great, that when quite 
a child he desired to found a charity, and put aside a 
portion of his pocket money for that purpose. At length 
this wish assumed a practical shape, and he founded in 



24 



The late Michael Henry. 



1847 the General Benevolent Association, of which he 
has been ever since the Honorary Secretary. He was for 
a long time a member of the Council of Jews' College 
and of the Board of Deputies, and sat on the committees 
of other educational charities, which he aided by his 
personal supervision. But chief of all to him was the 
Stepney Jewish Schools. He not only acted as Honorary 
Secretary to the Committee, but he devoted much of his 
valuable time (spare time, he had none) to the personal 
supervision of the boys in that school. He encouraged 
them by gifts, treats and prizes, he exhorted them to be 
good, truthful and industrious, and he lived to see some 
of them realize his hopes. He regarded them as objects 
of his loving care, and they have frequently evinced 
their appreciation of his affectionate solicitude. 

Among his labours mention should be made of his 
constant aid to the Society for Diffusion of Religious 
Knowledge. As writer, lecturer, and promoter, he greatly 
assisted the Association in its earlier days, and fostered 
and aided many of the movements which arose from it, 
in extension of the original plan, such as the Sunday 
Evening Lectures and the Jewish Working Men's Club. 
He also originated the idea of a Life Boat Fund from 
the savings of school boys, and bestowed great attention 
on the scheme which some boys started at his suggestion. 

His love for boys generally, and his desire to evince 
that love, was a remarkable feature in his character. He 



The late Michael Henry. 25 



was never happier than when examining a class, delivering 
a lecture at a school, or distributing prizes, and to many 
of such distributions he contributed a prize himself. In 
the profession to which he belonged he was generally 
esteemed and respected, and on some important occasions 
his opinion was eagerly sought and highly valued, espe- 
cially on questions of Patent Law, upon which he wrote 
a pamphlet, which was highly considered by the Com- 
mittee of the House of Commons appointed to report 
on that subject. He was an Associate of the Society of 
Civil Engineers, and a member of other learned bodies. 
It was, however, as Editor of this journal that he was 
best known ; and none but those who worked with him 
can fully appreciate his energetic labours to promote the 
welfare of the Jewish community, and to maintain peace 
and goodwill between the members of its various classes. 
Consistently attached to the principles and doctrines of 
his religion and its traditions, he was still tolerant towards 
those whose opinions differed from his own; and in 
many cases was enabled by his judicious management to 
pour oil on the troubled waters of rising disputes. It is 
almost superfluous to record in this journal that he was 
a pleasing and fluent writer, possessed of a poetic 
imagination, and that his language was both forcible 
and elegant. In private life he attracted the sincere 
friendship of a large circle of frends, both Jewish and 
Christian, of all grades and classes of society. His 



26 The late Michael Henry. 



genial manners and pleasant conversation will be remem- 
bered long and often by many who now weep for his 
sudden and unlooked for death. 

He died on Wednesday, the 16th inst., from the 
shock which his system received on his clothes taking 
fire rather than from the severity of the burns. The 
exact manner in which the melancholy accident occurred 
remains a mystery. But it appears that his shirt became 
ignited by the flame of a candle ; and it is most probable 
that he threw off his outer clothes in the hope of dis- 
engaging himself from the burning garment, thus allow- 
ing the flames to obtain a mastery against which he could 
not contend. When assistance came it was found that 
he was much injured, but hopes of recovery were enter- 
tained. Unfortunately these hopes were not fulfilled, 
and he died in twenty-four hours. He was never 
married ; but he had taken under his protection a sister 
and her three children, who, with the rest of his numerous 
family and countless friends, mourn for him with more 
than ordinary grief.. 

His funeral, which took place on Monday last, was 
attended by all the members of his family, and the pro- 
cession which followed the hearse from the house con- 
sisted of nearly one hundred gentlemen, among whom 
were both the Chief Rabbis, almost all the Jewish 
clergy, and representatives of almost every grade and 
class of society and of several public Jewish institutions. 



The late Michael Henry. 



27 



At the cemetery at Willesden a large concourse of 
people were assembled to meet the funeral. Boys from 
the Jews' Hospital, Deaf and Dumb Home, Gates of 
Hope School and Stepney Jewish Schools attended the 
funeral ; twelve of the latter carried the bier to the grave 
and were greatly affected. Almost every eye was dim- 
med with tears ; the coffin was covered with flowers 
which kind and sympathising friends had sent ; and the 
lowering of the body into its last resting place con- 
cluded one of the most impressive and solemn ceremo- 
nies that was ever witnessed. What deepened still 
more the solemnity was the circumstance that one of the 
deaf mute boys said the Kaddish. It was an ovation to 
worth such as no wealth could purchase ; it was a display 
of feeling which our community may well be proud of — 
an evidence that the Jews of London can honour, res- 
pect, value and love those whose lives have deserved 
such a tribute. No monarch, no hero, no martyr was 
ever carried to his grave with greater honour, greater 
solemnity, greater respect and greater grief than 
Michael Henry. 

A few of his friends contemplate a memorial, which 
will enable all who loved and respected him to give 
tangible expressions to their feelings. We are sure 
these friends will not appeal in vain. 



28 



The late Michael Henry. 



"Jewish Chronicle," June 25, 1875. 

On Sabbath last at several of the metropolitan syna- 
gogues the reverend preachers alluded to the death of 
Mr. Henry. 

At the Central Synagogue the Rev. A. L. Green 
preached a sermon from the text: "That they may 
proclaim My name throughout all the earth." (Eccl. lx. 
16). After commenting generally upon the text, and 
explaining the meaning of those phrases which, he said, 
are so familiar in the mouths of many, but are so 
strangely misunderstood, distorted and exaggerated, not 
only by the unreflective, but by the intelligent — viz., 
D&'H BTJp and D^n the Sanctification of God and 
the profanation of His Holy Name, Mr. Green paused, 
and, in deep emotion, which was exhibited by every 
worshipper, he drew a pathetic picture of the life of one 
who was endeared to every member of the synagogue, and, 
indeed, as he was beloved by all who knew the singular 
amiability of his gentle nature. In broken voice, the 
Rev. Mr. Green showed how Michael Henry had 
devoted his life, D55TJ &TJpi> for the glorification of our 
holy faith. How every impulse was directed to improve 
and consolidate Judaic observances. How he eagerly 
seized every opportunity to throw his emotional nature 
into every measure having for its object the glory of God 
and the integrity of our common faith ; and with what 



The late Michael Henry. 



29 



purity and nobility of purpose this, the main pursuit of 
his whole public life, had been effected. The united 
wealth of the world, said the preacher, could not, in his 
opinion, an opinion based on the friendship of years, 
have purchased or biassed his views. The unselfishness 
of his life in this respect was well worthy of imitation by 
all, and it must and should be the desire on the part of 
the community to show its appreciation of such a career, 
interrupted by so untimely and lamentable an end, by 
associating the name of Michael Henry with some en- 
dearing communal memorial, which would doubtless be 
suggested by those whose practical wisdom should be 
our guide. The words of the preacher seemed to find a 
ready echo and a tearful response. All seemed to feel 
that while the community had lost a faithful and devoted 
friend ; while Judaism had lost an earnest advocate ; 
each worshipper had at the same time lost a personal 
and an affectionate friend. 

The Rev. Dr. Hermann Adler commenced his dis- 
course at Bayswater Synagogue on Sabbath last by 
saying that he had to choose one of two alternatives 
that day, either to be silent altogether, or else to speak 
of the terrible loss the community had sustained, for it 
was beyond his power to preach an ordinary sermon. 
He could not turn his pulpit teaching into hollow decla- 
mation, he could only speak of that of which his own 
heart and his hearers' hearts were full. He took his 



The late Michael Henry. 



text from Isaiah lvii. i, 2, and said: "We are now 
bewailing the loss of one whose sun has gone down 
while yet it was day, one who consecrated his life to the 
service of his people, who diffused a hallowed influence 
around him. Alas ! How ill can the community spare 
such men as he ! The memory of his goodness and 
worth is deathless and imperishable. His unselfish acts 
and noble words are written in the memory of the com- 
munity, to whom, in truth, 4 he clung with every fibre of 
his heart,' whom he served with rare conscientiousness 
and ability, and who will not suffer his name to perish in 
oblivion ; who will not allow the good work he upheld 
in his life to languish. Have we then a right to deplore 
Michael Henry's death as early and premature ? Can 
long life be measured by the arithmetic of months and 
years ? God measures life by deeds, not by periods ; 
not by decades or jubilees, but by glowing words, and 
actions that do not belie the speaker's words. Charac- 
ter, piety, activity is life, not years. To paraphase the 
well-known Talmudical adage, Michael Henry accom- 
plished in his forty-four years more than another per- 
forms in a century. Now is not yet the time in which 
to recount all that our beloved brother was, all that he 
did. One fitting tribute I may pay his dear memory, by 
bidding him speak to the hearts of the two lads who 
have this day become Barmitzvah, for all the best traits 
of his character, his genial sympathy, his noble unsel- 



The late Michael Henry. 



31 



fishness, his all-absorbing love of Judaism came into 
prominence when he wrote of boys, or when he spoke 
to them. Thus he writes in a paper addressed to boys in 
the Sabbath Readings : ' Boys, you are the hope of the 
world ! You are the heirs of the future, if time shall 
endure. When we who are writing for you, who think 
of you, and work for you, shall have passed away from 
this busy life, and shall be cold in our silent graves, you, 
if you are spared, will inherit our labours and our cares, 
and the world which we shall have left. ...... 

There is one recompense we all can understand, receive, 
and welcome. The young and the old, the happy and 
the sorrowful, the merry and the weary — we can all alike 
lift our eyes from earth, and hope to win the love of the 
Father in Heaven. May that light of love shine on you, 
boys, in the spring of your youth, and the summer of 
your manhood, in the autumn of declining strength and 
the winter of old age. Come boys of our hopes and 
affections ; strive to be brave, wise and good, so that 
you may become better men than we are, so that your 
own boys in far days to come may profit by your exam- 
ple, and become better than you ; and thus from gene- 
ration to generation improving and yet improving, while 
time and the world endure. . . . And when for us 

the silver cord is loosed for ever, keep our memory green 
and think of us tenderly, lovingly, and prayerfully.' " 
The congregation was deeply affected during the sermon. 



32 



The late Michael Henry. 



The Rev. A. Lowy preached last Sabbath at the West 
London Synagogue (Berkeley Street). He took his text 
from Numbers ii. 2, which he translated thus: "Let 
every man stand by his banner which is marked with the 
ensigns of the paternal house : thus shall the Children 
of Israel be encamped, over against and round about the 
Tabernacle shall they be encamped." The sermon was 
chiefly historical and referred to various data in the Mid- 
rash. In the course of the sermon the preacher took 
occasion to advert to the uncertainties of life, especially 
as to the hour when man may be called away from the 
scenes of busy activity. Without mentioning by name 
him for whom the Jewish community now mourns, the 
friends of the departed were reminded of the great void 
occasioned by the untimely death of a loved and loving 
friend of his people. The rev. preacher observed: when 
a soul pure as silver leaves its earthly abode, " the Per- 
petual Light " in the synagogue recalls to the mind and 
to the heart the idea that the child of God shall emerge 
from darkness into light and combine strict attachment 
to the ancestral family with unswerving fidelity to the 
ancestral religion. 

At the Borough Synagogue, the Rev. S. Singer took 
his text from that portion of the Sedrah of the day 
which records the conversation between Moses and 
Hobab relative to the intended departure of the latter 
for his native land — a step from which Moses endea- 



The late Michael He7iry. 33 



voured to dissuade him by pleading : " Forsake us not, 
we beseech thee, for thou knowest our encampment 
in the wilderness, and thou canst be to us in the place 
of eyes." The object of the discourse was to show how 
often human agencies and human means are employed 
to further the plans of Heaven. Towards the conclu- 
sion of his address the preacher spoke as follows : "To 
these reflections I have been more particularly led by a 
heavy calamity, with which the community has within 
the last few days been afflicted, through the sudden and 
mournful departure from our midst of one who also knew 
our encampment in the wilderness and was to us in the 
place of eyes. None could sympathize more fully than 
he with all the wants of his people ; none more deeply 
feel for all their sorrows and trials ; no one could join 
more heartily in all their joys and triumphs ; no one be 
more strongly imbued with their highest and most sacred 
hopes. To this power of sympathising with others he 
united the rarer power of working for others. His great 
and conspicuous talents were ever at the service of those 
who, in whatever form, sought the good of their people. 
His pen was ' the pen of a ready writer' — a pen wielded 
for many years with well-sustained grace, energy and 
force of purpose, setting itself as its great aim the ad- 
vancement of Israel and their elevation in the eyes of 
the nations of the earth. Yet was he who spared him- 
self so little ever considerate and generous towards the 



34 The late Michael Henry. 



faults of others. If he was to us in the place of eyes, it 
was mainly to detect whatever good there was in the 
community. This gentle friend of ours, this friend of 
Israel's, filled a useful and important place. 'Despise 
not everybody, condemn not everything,' said the sage, 
'for every man hath his hour and everything hath its 
place.' This principle appeared to have taken a firm 
hold of him. In every line of his writings one might 
trace that one idea, which is the truest expression of 
Jewish charity — there is some good in every thing, there 
is some merit in every body. But while all classes of 
the community found room in his affections, there was 
one section of it in particular to whose interests he 
seemed to address himself with an almost undivided 
ardour and devotion. He had, like many good men, an 
inextinguishable faith in youth ; he had that mark of 
true manliness, a manly love for those who would them- 
selves one day be men. It was with our lamented friend 
a rooted article of faith that in the young there was the 
germ, which waited but to be evoked, of everything 
good, pure, great and noble. He entered with all his 
heart into the hopes and fears, the troubles and aspira- 
tions of youth ; and I have the sad conviction, that 
among the thousands who will miss his kindly presence 
and manners, none will more acutely feel the loss than 
the troops of boys and girls whom he used always in his 
own happy, genial way to style 'his children.' I have 



The late Michael Henry. 35 



but few more words to add. If in some respects he, 
whom a dread disaster has snatched from us in the 
prime of his bodily and mental vigour, reminds us of 
that Hobab who knew our encampment in the wilder- 
ness and was to us in the place of eyes, there was one 
feature in his character in which he recalls the example 
of the best of men and the most faithful of God's ser- 
vants. 'The man Moses was exceedingly meek.' Sel- 
dom could those words be more truly applied than to 
one whose name I will not mention here, whose name in 
life was ever mentioned least where his work was great- 
est. He was in truth one of those rare beings whose 
chief happiness was in seeing and making others happy, 
whose greatest pride it is to see and make their people 
honoured. For us, his brethren in Israel, whom he will 
no longer accompany in the journey of life, there is 
nothing left but to bewail the burning which the Lord 
hath kindled. The congregation were deeply affected 
during the sermon. 

One of the last acts of Mr. Michael Henry before the 
lamentable accident which caused his death was a deed 
of kindness to a Stepney Boy, as the following letter will 
testify : — 

Tuesday evening, June 15, 1875. 
Dear Mr. Payne, — If * * * has not yet a situation, tell him 
to call on Messrs. * * * * between 10 and 12 o'clock in the 
forenoon and mention my name. Let him say he is a Stepney boy. 

Yours, &c, M. Henry. 

C 



36 The late Michael He?iry. 



\* From all sides expressions of condolence and 
profound sympathy for the late editor of this journal 
reach our office. The geniality of his manners, his 
urbanity and kind-heartedness are especially dwelled 
upon by such of our correspondents as had either come 
into personal contact with him or had been befriended 
by him. It affords a melancholy satisfaction to the staff 
of this journal to see how much beloved and how highly 
respected its chief was. 



"Jewish World," June 25, 1875. 



When the history of the Anglo-Jewish community of 
modern times receives the attention of the historian, no 
man should occupy a higher position amongst the illus- 
trious individuals who have shed lustre on our escutcheon 
than the late Michael Henry. On the roll of true bene- 
factors his name should stand foremost as one who loved 
his fellow men with an engrossing affection which found 
its vent in deeds of brotherly kindness. All his worldly 
possessions were ever at the disposal of the necessitous ; 
his heart always yearned for the poor and suffering, and 
his generous hand followed the promptings of that noble 
heart. Simple and unaffected was the way in which he 
dispensed his charity ; it was natural that he should be 
good, and he appeared to be unwilling to receive thanks 



The late Michael Henry. 37 



or praise for the benevolence he practised. He wished 
for no public acknowledgment of his bounty ; he was 
satisfied to keep in the rear and watch the effect of his 
liberality ; he might have passed away in obscurity had 
not his brethren opened their eyes to the nature of the 
man. He is dead ! The hand that gave a kindly pressure 
to the poorest and humblest, is cold and still ; the 
beaming countenance from which the rays of benevolence 
shone, is placid and immoveable ; the heart which beat 
for the poor and lowly has ceased its pulsations ; the 
busy brain throbs not again. Michael Henry is no more ! 
It was but a few days since that we saw him strong and 
happy ; full of health and vigour, and overflowing with 
that kindly humour which endeared him to all ; we saw 
him amongst the children he loved so well, and who 
loved him as a father. He was happy then in the con- 
sciousness of his good work having achieved success. 
May he be happy now in those realms where all is 
light and love and beauty ! 

It will be long before the community will realise the 
great loss which it has sustained. At the present moment 
we can hardly think that the noble-minded gentleman 
lies under the cold sod bereft of all sense and activity. 
But a few days ago his intellects were clear and bright, 
his laugh happy and almost boyish in its unaffected 
merriment, his almost feminine heart brimful of tender- 
ness and sympathy. The talents which he undoubtedly 

c 2 



38 The late Michael Henry. 

possessed were always at the command of the community 
whose interests he guarded with jealous care, and when 
he wrote, it was never to hurt, never to wound or offend 
— ever to heal, conciliate, and bring into closer friend- 
ship Jew with Jew. Nothing was too humble for him 
to do ; nothing too great for his achievement ; he enter- 
tained no contempt for that which was small and 
insignificant, and was not daunted by that which appeared 
high and unattainable. To a kind and affectionate 
disposition he united a strength of purpose and manly 
resolution which gained him the admiration of all with 
whom he came into contact. He was not rich in the 
world's goods, but to all he had the poor were welcome. 
He was a messenger sent from Heaven to do naught 
but good to human creatures, and to teach them that 
we have more to live for than the aggrandisement of 
self and the accumulation of wealth ; he came to show 
us that man was created to love his fellow man, to be 
merciful, generous, patient, and God-fearing. He was 
a jewel lent by God to sparkle and illumine his surround- 
ings ; the Almighty has reclaimed His loan, and may 
that jewel now cast its effulgence around its heavenly 
setting ! He is gone, and we mourn his loss. Can it 
be possible that the great mind is closed for ever, and 
that the loving heart beats no more ? Will little children 
not once again sit upon his knee, and pour their prattle 
into his willing ear ? Will the poOr never more wait upon 



The late Michael Henry. 



39 



his steps, and load their blessings upon his unwilling 
self? Shall we then not more behold him gallantly 
assisting in rolling along the burden of our nation ? 
Alas, Michael Henry is dead, and we can but bedew the 
earth that covers him with our tears, and send forth our 
lamentations to the Most High ! He is dead ! May his 
soul rest in peace ! 

May the love and devotion to, the cause of our people 
and humanity recommend him to that just God who 
knows the movements of -every heart, the thoughts of every 
mind, the comings-in and the comings-out of all the 
creatures He has placed upon earth. May our Heavenly 
Father teach us to respect the memory of our lamented 
brother by a strict adherence to the righteous path in 
which he walked, and the pious ends to which he devoted 
his life. Let us hope that God has taken him to Himself, 
arid that the bright spirit of Michael Henry dwells with 
Him he served so well. 

Michael Henry, who met with his death in the fear- 
ful manner already made known to the public, was but 
in his 46th year, being born on Feb. 19, 1830, at Eltham 
House, Kennington. He was the youngest son of 
Abraham Henry, of Ramsgate, and afterwards of Lon- 
don. At an early age he exhibited unmistakeable signs 
of talent ; for at the City of London School — where he, 
in common with many other now well-known co-religion- 
ists, received his education, under Dr. Mortimer, who 



40 



The late Michael Henry. 



always took great pride in his Jewish pupils — he gained 
numerous distinctions, one being a classical prize in the 
fifth class. He imbibed his taste for literature from his 
mother, Emma Henry, a daughter of the Rev. S. Lyon, 
of Cambridge, a lady of many accomplishments, whose 
volume of poems, published in the year 1812, was the 
first printed work of an English lady of the Jewish com- 
munity. Her gentleness and kind disposition greatly 
influenced Mr. Henry in after life, and he often con- 
fessed to the writer of these lines that to his mother he 
owed many of his acquirements. While still young, Mr. 
Henry was appointed sub-editor of the Mechanics' Maga- 
zine, the first cheap scientific journal, of which the late Mr. 
Clinton Robertson, one of the compilers of the " Percy 
Anecdotes," was editor. Mr. Henry's contributions to 
that magazine were very valuable and much appreciated 
by the public ; and his articles in the Mining Journal 
and other periodicals of a similar nature gained him con- 
siderable celebrity in scientific circles. He also edited 
the Inventors' Almanack, which appeared for a number 
of consecutive years, and wrote an elaborate defence of 
the Patent Law, which he dedicated to the late Lord 
Westbury. Those who remember the old days of the 
Weekly Dispatch will probably not have forgotten 
Michael Henry's stirring war song, " Go forth, thou 
Gallant Fleet," which appeared in that journal during 
the year 1856. He was also the author of a letter on 



The late Michael Henry. 



41 



the " Registration of Trade Marks/' which appeared in 
the Journal of the Society of Arts, and which led to the 
Government taking action in the matter. Eventually, 
through the publication of this letter, a Registration of 
Trade Marks Committee was formed in the House of 
Commons, and a bill proposed in Parliament, but not 
passed. In 1869, on the retirement of Dr. Benisch 
through illness, Mr. Henry was appointed Editor of the 
Jewish Chronicle, a post he held up to the time of his 
death. Thus it will be seen that our friend Michael 
Henry was a man of varied attainments, his knowledge 
embracing a wide area of subjects. He had not lightly 
skimmed the surface of things ; he was no superficial 
thinker, but had dipped deeply into the well of know- 
ledge, and had taken deep draughts of its contents. If 
one did not always agree with what he wrote, one had 
the satisfaction of knowing that his utterances were be- 
gotten of impartiality and fairness. His conversation 
was always worth listening to ; a vigorous speaker, with- 
out being strikingly original, he never failed to arouse 
the strictest attention ; and when from earnest and 
sober language he lapsed into wit and humour, he could 
not but succeed in exciting the greatest merriment 
amongst his listeners. There was nothing pedantic 
about Michael Henry, nothing flimsy or unreal ; he was 
a downright honest man, blunt and emphatic in his 
utterances, eager and desirous to praise when necessary. 



42 The late Michael Henry. 

But he was seldom — we may say never — known to have 
visited with censure or contempt the deeds of any fellow 
creature ; he took a favourable view of human weak- 
nesses, and gazed upon our frailties as the outcome of a 
nature we cannot control. He was, nevertheless, very 
sensible of dishonesty and meanness. His was an en- 
thusiastic character, lifting him above the convention- 
ality of these practical days ; he was moved by a kind 
of idealism which made him view humanity with bene- 
volent eyes, and see in the peccadilloes of his fellow men 
but very small blemishes, for which their erratic nature 
was responsible. It may be said that he had not a 
single enemy in the world ; those who knew him well 
and had discerned his character could not but love him. 
He was free and open, and while not courting attraction, 
he laid his heart open for inspection by the style in 
which he conducted the business of his life — helping the 
distressed, aiding the rich in their arduous endeavours 
to help the poor, and exerting himself only in behalf of 
others. We indulge in no fulsome adulation when we 
say that seldom has his like appeared on earth ; few, 
unfortunately very few indeed have been the men who 
on the earth were not earthly, as was Michael Henry. 
There was no sacrifice he would not make to benefit his 
people ; nothing he would not strive to do in order to 
enhance the community of which he was so brilliant an 
ornament. He never waited to be asked to engage in 



The late Michael Henry. 



43 



work calculated to effect some desirable result ; he 
originated, designed, canvassed, corresponded, and 
laboured with his busy brain till the venture on which 
he had set his mind was safely launched. Then his 
gentle nature and sensitive soul would shrink from the 
public acknowledgment of his achievement, and he 
would be joyfully content to retire behind the scenes, 
watch the spectators applaud the episodes in the drama 
of which he was the anonymous creator, and express a 
delight — which we know was sincere and heartfelt — 
when others were accredited with the work which he had 
accomplished by dint of great exertion. Those who 
dived deeply into the innermost heart of hearts of 
Michael Henry often marvelled at his wonderful modesty, 
his dislike of praise, and indifference to any kind of 
public recognition of his virtues. In some men this 
indifference to celebrity would have discouraged a desire 
to benefit humanity ; but with the noble gentleman we 
have lost for ever it was different. He loved " to do 
good by stealth, and blushed to find it fame ! " 

Looking at Mr. Henry's labours on behalf of the 
Jewish community we are struck with the indefatigable 
energy he imported into his unceasing work. To every 
undertaking, no matter its character, so long as it was 
intended thereby to benefit somebody, he lent his 
valuable aid, and set about the performance of his self 
imposed duties as if his life depended upon the exacti- 



44 The late Michael Henry. 



tude of their accomplishment. There are men in every 
sphere who will, at the outset of any enterprise, readily 
assume a responsible position in connection with it; 
should the venture not be so successful as was antici- 
pated by its sanguine projectors, they tire of it, and 
arrive at the conclusion that there can be no possible 
utility in maintaining what they have commenced, espe- 
cially as they derive no personal profit from the 
concern. Michael Henry displayed characteristics, in 
the course of his honourable career, diametrically 
opposed to the principles of such men; failure never 
filled him with dismay, and though endowed with a by 
no means inconsiderable amount of sensitiveness, which 
reached almost to nervousness, he fought valiantly 
against the tide of adversity, well knowing that in the 
end every good cause must surely gain. Without wish- 
ing to deprive any gentlemen of the credit due to their 
exertions, we may observe that the Stepney Jewish 
School will be a lasting monument of what one man can 
do. It is very true that the success of that institution is 
owing in a great degree to its competent officers and 
managers, but it will be generally conceded that it would 
never have attained to its present height of popularity 
but for the ministrations of Mr. Henry, who, as honorary 
secretary, a most frequent visitor, an able teacher and a 
warm friend of the children, did more than the public 
know to place the Stepney School in the position it now 



The late Michael Henry. 



45 



occupies. Stepney School was indeed the favourite of 
the lamented gentleman, and we cannot without emotion 
think of the good natured simplicity with which he went 
about, what he called, his duties in connection with it. 
Very often did we see him trudging through the streets 
on a cold wintry day, defying alike snow and ice, pur- 
chasing baskets of fruit, cakes, and toys with which to 
delight the children at Stepney he loved so well. In- 
deed, one of his latest letters, which must have been 
written very shortly before the occurrence of the fearful 
accident which led to his death, was written in behalf of 
a " Stepney Boy," for whom he was anxious to obtain a 
situation — and which, we are informed, has proved suc- 
cessful. On his arrival at the school the pupils would 
shout for joy and cling to his garments as if he were 
their natural protector. Then would he sit down 
amongst them, pour out some pretty tale, or charm 
them with some kind advice. Their laughter is hushed 
now, and tears stand in the eyes of the boys and girls 
who were wont to welcome his presence. Michael 
Henry has left us, and the children have lost a dear, 
dear friend. 

His distaste for publicity of any kind precluded the 
community, except those members of it most intimately 
connected with him, from gaining much insight into the 
nature of his communal work. It was Michael Henry 
who originated the foundation of the institution now 



46 



The late Michael Henry. 



known as the United Synagogue, the desirability of the 
establishment of which he set forth in a very able pamph- 
let ; and it is very certain that his suggestions became 
the basis on which that now successful corporation was 
founded. The Jews' College is another institution in 
which Mr. Henry took a profound interest — an interest 
which was demonstrated in a most substantial manner, 
for he was not the man to give anything the benefit of 
his name without the advantage of- his personal and 
pecuniary aid. The General Benevolent Society, a very 
excellent charity, was almost wholly managed by him, 
and its members — both Jews and Christians, and those 
who, without distinction of creed, benefited by its exist- 
ence — will often bless the memory of that kind gentle- 
man, who was honoured and beloved by all. The 
Hebrew Literature Society was another of his pet ideas, 
and we believe that he first broached the idea of its 
establishment. If that society has not achieved the 
success which we expected would fall to its share, it was 
not owing to any lack of exertion on the part of the 
deceased. 

In giving this lengthy notice of the late Michael 
Henry we do not think that any apology is due to our 
readers. As an earnest worker in behalf of the commu- 
nity, as the friend of all who desired his help, as a 
scholar and a gentleman, his memory has claims upon 
our esteem which cannot be disregarded. Had Michael 



The late Michael Henry. 



47 



Henry been a rich man there would have been, so to 
speak, no limit to his philanthropy ; as it was his gene- 
rosity was limited only by his means. From the sym- 
pathy which has been everywhere evinced for the 
bereaved, and the universality of the sorrow felt at his 
loss, it is evident that the community is not unmindful 
of the nobility of Michael Henry's character, and that 
his deeds will be commemorated in some lasting manner 
is our earnest wish. We have great benefactors amongst 
us, always ready to promote charitable undertakings — 
men whose hearts and purses are always open to the 
poor; but it is to be doubted whether there exists in the 
whole of our nation a man of the like of Michael Henry. 

The funeral took place on Monday last. Intimation 
had been forwarded to all the metropolitan synagogues 
of the time appointed, and it was requested that friends 
of the deceased would meet at the cemetery at about 1 1 
o'clock. This arrangement was generally observed, and 
a very large number of persons made their way by train 
to Willesden Junction, which is within half-an-hour's 
walking distance of the cemetery. The cortege, which 
consisted of thirteen mourning coaches, and many pri- 
vate carriages, left Argyle Square at 10 o'clock, and 
arrived at the cemetery shortly after 1 1 . A detachment 
of boys of the Stepney Schools (who wore crape on their 
hats and arms) to the number of sixty, was stationed at 
either side of the pathway leading to the hall ; they, 



48 The late Michael Henry. 



together with their head master, Mr. W. Ash Payne, 
their former master, Mr. E. H. Valentine, and others of 
the teaching staff, had been conveyed by private omni- 
buses, and had specially passed the residence of the 
deceased, out of respect to his valued memory. Some 
of these youths are now filling situations provided for 
them by the exertions of Mr. Henry. In another part of 
the ground was to be met, under the charge or their 
Principal, the Rev. John Chapman, a detachment of 
pupils of the Jews' Hospital, one of whom carried a 
banner draped in mourning. Following the mourning 
coaches which conveyed the relatives and more intimate 
friends of the deceased and the clergy, was that specially 
engaged for the students and the Principal of Jews' Col- 
lege (Dr. Friedlander)— a private omnibus, with twenty- 
five pupils and the teaching staff, having proceeded 
direct from the college to the cemetery. 

The carriage way leading to the hall was lined with 
spectators anxious to take part in the melancholy pro- 
ceedings of the day. When the carriages had discharged 
their occupants the hall was densely filled. The assem- 
blage, numbering between 300 and 400, was thoroughly 
representative, comprising as it did members of every 
metropolitan congregation. A deputation from the 
Anglo-Jewish Association was also in attendance. As 
for the clergy, it is no exaggeration to say that on no 
previous occasion have they assembled in such numbers, 



The late Michael Henry. 



49 



and it would have been a matter of difficulty to dis- 
tinguish who was absent. Poor as well as rich testified by 
their presence the esteem in which they held the departed. 

Before the commencement of the funeral service, 
wreaths and immortelles were placed on the coffin, round 
which were stationed six former and six present pupils 
of the Stepney Schools. This was followed by the 
reading of the service by the Rev. A. L. Green, who was 
so overcome with emotion, that it was with great difficulty 
he was enabled to proceed. The scene at this moment 
was painful and solemn in the extreme, for scores of 
grown-up men, and numerous children of various schools 
in which Mr. Henry took such profound interest, could be 
seen shedding tears, while grief was plainly expressed on 
the countenances of many who suppressed such mani- 
festations. The procession, headed by the coffin — the 
bier on which it was rested being carried by the above 
referred to Stepney boys — then proceeded slowly to the 
grave into which the coffin was lowered, flowers and 
wreaths of immortelles being strewed on the lid. The 
remainder of the service having been performed in the 
hall, the assemblage dispersed, groups of persons being 
met with in all directions discussing the merits and 
virtues of the lamented gentleman. 

At the Bayswater Synagogue, on Sabbath last, the 
Rev. Dr. Hermann Adler preached on the tragic theme 



5<3 The late Michael Henry. 



which filled his hearers' and his own heart. He took as 
his text the words of Isaiah lvii. i, 2, "The righteous 
perisheth and no man layeth it to heart : and merciful 
men are taken away, none considering that the right- 
eous is taken away from the evil to come. He shall 
enter into peace ; they shall rest upon their couch each 
one walking in his uprightness." He showed how these 
words solved in some measure the mystery of the early 
death of the righteous. Who can tell if our loved and 
lost one had been spared, what trials might have been 
in reserve for him, what sins and temptations might have 
overtaken him, what sorrow and suffering might have 
fallen to his lot ? How much better is a brief life with 
its bright and hallowed memories than a prolonged 
existence with its many possible evils ? He has entered 
into peace, no more to be claimed like a slave to 
the oar of toil. He has been gathered in to his 
fathers, he has been invited to the dear ones who have 
gone to their rest, he has entered the communion of the 
great and good of all ages. And he walks in righteous- 
ness still. The memory of his deeds and worth is 
deathless and imperishable. If we recall all the good he 
has wrought, all the glowing words he has spoken, can 
we regard his as an early and untimely death ? At the 
conclusion of his sermon the preacher, in addressing 
two Barmitzvah boys, quoted some remarkably appro- 
priate words from a paper addressed to boys, contributed 



The late Michael Henry. 



5i 



by Mr. Henry to the Sabbath Readings, which moved 
his hearers to tears. 



The Rev. S. Singer, preached an affecting sermon at 
the Borough Synagogue, on Sabbath last. In the course 
of his remarks, the preacher, whose subject was the 
conversation between Moses and Hobab (Numb. x. 
29-3 1 ) relative to the departure of the latter for his native 
land, referred to the sad disaster which had deprived 
the community of one of its best friends, who " knew 
our encampment in the wilderness and was to us in the 
place of eyes." He who had just departed for that land 
from which God had sent him to us, joined to the faculty 
of sympathising with his people the power of working 
for them. His talents were ever at the service of those 
who sought the good of their nation. His pen, "the 
pen of a ready writer," strove to effect the advancement 
of Israel and their elevation in the eyes of the nations of 
the earth. Yet was he, who spared himself so little, ever 
generous towards the faults of others. If he was to us 
in the place of eyes, it was mainly to detect whatever 
good there was in the community. He left to others the 
ungracious task of discovering all blots and blemishes 
from which the best of us were not free. In an age when 
every man deemed himself especially commissioned to 
become the critic and the censor of his neighbour, this 
genial friend of Israel filled a useful and important place. 



52 The late Michael Henry. 

But while all classes of the community found room in 
his affections, there was one section of it in particular to 
whose interests he seemed to address himself with an 
almost undivided energy. He had an inextinguishable 
faith in youth, a manly love for those who would one 
day themselves be men. None perhaps would feel his 
loss more acutely than the children into whose wants 
and aspirations he knew how to enter with all the ardour 
and devotion of his genial nature. In one respect he 
might be said to recall the example of the great teacher 
of our race. Rarely could the praise of modesty and 
meekness be more justly assigned than to him, whose 
name there was no need to mention in that holy house, 
whose name in life was ever mentioned least where his 
work was greatest. His brethren of the house of Israel 
might well set themselves now to bewail the burning 
which the Lord had kindled ; but, in the midst of the 
bereavement by which they were bowed down, they might 
derive their truest consolation from the glorious promise 
to which they had that day listened, " Thus saith the 
Lord, if thou wilt walk in my ways and observe my 
charge, if thou wilt also judge my house and keep my 
courts I will give thee a place among them that stand 
here." 

The sad occurrence also formed the subject of a 
sermon preached by the Rev. A. L. Green, at the Central 
Synagogue, on Sabbath last. 



The late Michael Henry. 53 



Jews' College. 

10, Finsbury Square, 

London, E.G., July 7, 1875. 

Dear Sir, 

The Council of Jews' College, at a meeting 
held on the 4th inst., resolved unanimously to tender to 
you, and your esteemed family, the assurance of their 
sincere condolence and profound sympathy on the sad 
loss you have sustained in the lamented death of Mr. 
Michael Henry. 

The Council have to deplore the loss of one of its 
most esteemed members, who, by the constant and 
parental interest which he took in all that was connected 
with the. institution, had endeared himself alike to the 
Council, to the officers, and to the students and pupils. 

The Council most earnestly pray that God may 
grant you comfort and solace in your trouble, that 
acquiescence in the Divine will may strengthen you to 
bear your affliction, that the many virtues of your lamen- 
ted brother may be a copious source of consolation to 
you, and that you may be spared for many years in unin- 
terrupted health and happiness. 

The accompanying resolutions were unanimously 

adopted by the Council. 

Believe me, dear Sir, 

Yours very faithfully, 

N. Adler, Dr., 
Richard Henry, Esq. President. 

D 2 



54 



The late Michael Henry, 



Resolutions. 

" i. — That this Council deeply deplores the irrepar- 
" able loss which the Community has sustained in the 
" demise of Michael Henry, who, by his sterling qualities 
" of heart and mind, as well as by his energetic exertions 
" to promote the religious, moral, social, and intellec- 
" tual welfare of his brethren, had earned the highest 
" regard of all classes. 

" 2. — That this Council greatly laments the loss of 
" their colleague, who, during a great number of years 
" had been one of the most zealous workers on behalf 
M of this institution, who contributed so largely to its 
" success, and who had, by his loving care and advice, 
" endeared himself to its students and pupils. 

" 3. — That a copy of these resolutions, together with 
" a letter of condolence, be forwarded to the family of 
" Mr. Henry, and that the resolutions be advertised in 
" the Jewish press. 

"N. Adler, Dr., 

' ' July 4th, 1875." " President. 



Sheffield Hebrew Congregation. 

Copy of resolutions passed at a meeting of the 
members of the Hebrew Congregation, on Sunday, July 
11, 1875. 

" 1. — That this Meeting begs to express its profound 
" sorrow at the untimely death of Mr. Michael Henry, 



The late Michael Henry. 



" its former representative at the Board of Deputies. 

" 2. — That this meeting begs to place on record its 
"'recognition of the invaluable aid rendered on all occa- 
" sions by Mr. Henry to this congregation through his 
" excellent advice and advocacy, and which contributed 
so largely to the establishment of the synagogue and 
" school in Sheffield. 

" 3. — That this meeting offers its sincere condolence 
" and sympathy to the family and friends of the deceased, 
" who have the melancholy satisfaction of knowing that 
" their grief is shared in common by the whole body 
" of Jews. 

" 4. — That a subscription list be opened to assist in 
" carrying out the memorial in contemplation to the 
" revered memory of the deceased, with the view of 
" giving effect to the objects so dear to his heart. 

" 5. — That a copy of these resolutions be forwarded 
" to the family of the deceased, and advertised in the 
" Jewish press." 



Free Lectures to Jewish Working Men 
and their families. 

At a meeting of the Committee of the above Associa- 
tion, it was unanimously resolved : — 

" 1 That this committee deeply deplores the irrepar- 
" able loss the community has sustained in the lamented 



56 



The late Michael Henry. 



" demise of their colleague Mr. Michael Henry, who was 
" one of the originators of the movement for providing 
" Free Lectures to Jewish Working Men and their 
" Families, and to the success of which he so largely 
" contributed by his earnest advocacy and his personal 
" co-operation. 

" 2. That this Committee, to the various members of 
" which Mr. Michael Henry had endeared himself, by 
" his unceasing efforts to promote the moral, social and 
" intellectual advancement of our nation, as well by his 
" amiability of character, desires to express to all those 
"nearly related to him, its deepest sympathy in their 
" bereavement, and to offer them that condolence which 
" emanates from the most affectionate regard for the 
" departed, and from the knowledge of the severe loss 
" the Association has, in common with the whole com- 
" munity, sustained by his death. 

" 3. That a copy of these resolutions be forwarded to 
" the family of Mr. Michael Henry, and that the same 
" be advertised in the Jewish Chronicle and Jewish World. 

" (Signed) A. L. Green, 

" Chaiiynan. 

" Lawrence Samuel, 

" Hon. Sec. 

"London, 29th June, 1875." 



The late Michael Henry. 57 



General Benevolent Association. 

15, Berners Street, Oxford Street, "W., 
June 29, 1875. 

Dear Sir, 

I am directed by the Committee of the General 
Benevolent Association to transmit to you the enclosed 
resolutions passed at a special meeting which was held 
yesterday, together with the letter of condolence to 
which the second resolution refers. 

The engrossed copy will be prepared and forwarded 
as soon as possible. 

1 I am, dear Sir, 

Yours truly, 

Henry J. Kisch, 

R. L, Henry, Esq. Hon. Sec. pro tern. 

At a special meeting of the Committee of the General 
Benevolent Association, held on the 28th June, 1875, at 
the house of the Chairman, Mr. J. N. Lindo, the following 
resolutions were unanimously passed : — 

" 1. This meeting desires to record its sense of the 
" loss the General Benevolent Association has sustained 
" by the melancholy death of its founder and honorary 
"secretary, Mr. Michael Henry, to whose able and 
" zealous labours ever since the foundation of the Asso- 
'* ciation — a period of 27 years — the success of the 
" charity is mainly due. 



58 



The late Michael Henry. 



"2. The Committee of the General Benevolent 
" Association being desirous of expressing their sincere 
"sympathy with the members of the family of their 
" lamented honorary secretary on the occasion of his 
" sad and sudden death, resolve to send a letter of con- 
<; dolence to them, and that the same be engrossed on 
" vellum and suitably framed.'' 

J. N. Linjdo, 

Chairman of the Committee. 



London, 28th June, 1875. 

The Committee of the General Benevolent Associa- 
tion cannot find words in which adequately to describe 
their sense of the irreparable loss they and the Associa- 
tion have sustained by the sad and sudden death of their 
much loved and lamented honorary secretary, Mr. 
Michael Henry. 

The Committee feel that in losing him they have lost 
their chief member, who, since he founded the Associa- 
tion in 1848, has been its principal worker and moving 
spirit, who with devotion of time and attention, and at 
the sacrifice of all personal considerations, performed for 
the long course of 27 years the onerous duties of honorary 
secretary — duties which, performed in his conscientious 
and tender-hearted manner, involved continual unofficial 
private disbursements — incessantly exerting himself to 
promote the object of the Association which was ever 



The late Michael Henry. 



59 



dear to him, the aid of those requiring temporary assist- 
ance so as to effect their permanent benefit, striving 
always to extend its sphere of usefulness, and to save 
its funds at his own cost from outlay for working 
expenses. He cheerfully continued to fulfil the duties 
of honorary secretary year after year, notwithstanding 
the increase of various other calls upon his time and 
purse. 

The Committee beg to express to the family of their 
deeply-lamented colleague the profoundest sympathy 
with them in their bereavement. The Committee trust 
that the universal love, esteem, and respect entertained 
and manifested for the departed, may afford some con- 
solation to his family in their affliction. 

William J. Little, M.D., President. 

Julian Goldsmid, aI.P., Alfred Longsdon, 

J. W. Battley, F. D. Mocatta, 

Henry Bessemer, Xatl. Montefiore, 

J. M. Johnson, Joseph Sebag, 

Vice-Presidents. Vice-Presidents. 

J. N. Lindo, Albert Kisch, 

Chairman of Committee. Deputy Chairman. 

W. H. Berlindina, R. F. Hare. 

R. Brigham. Alfred Henry, 

Isaac N. Caryalho, Charles Johnson, 

L. M. Finzi, Edmund Johnson. 

J. Austin Garrard, E. M. Little. 

H. J. Gaskill, Dayid Longsdon. 

Michael A. Green, Henry Lumley. 

HEXRY J. KlSCH. Hon. Secretary rpro tern.) 



6o 



The late Michael Henry. 



Stepney Jewish Schools. 

London, June, 1875. 

Dear Sir, 

At a meeting of the Committee of the Stepney 
Jewish Schools, held on the 20th inst., it was unani- 
mously resolved to offer you and your esteemed relatives, 
on the part of the Committee, the expression of our 
deep and heartfelt sympathy on the irreparable loss you 
have sustained in the death of that noble-minded, tender, 
and true-hearted man, whom you had the good fortune 
to call your brother. 

Associated as we have been with him for so many 
years, we have had ample opportunities to appreciate 
his unflagging zeal, his utter abnegation of self, and his 
truly religious fervour ; and it is not too much to say that 
all of us — his colleagues on this Committee — feel that in 
him we have lost a brother. No words of ours can 
lighten the blow that has fallen on the relatives to whom 
he was so devoted, but it must surely be a source of 
some consolation to them to know that their grief is 
shared and felt as a personal loss, not only by the pupils 
of the Stepney School who have lost in him a second 
father, but by every member of the community to whose 
service he gave the best part of his life, the best efforts 
of his ever active and energetic mind. 

We pray that the Almighty may spare you from 
further trials for many years, and that you may have the 



The late Michael Henry. 



61 



satisfaction of witnessing the realization, both in his 
family and in the community, of the wishes which were 
dearest to your lamented brother's heart. 

We remain, dear Sir, 

Yours faithfully, 
Marcus N. Adler, Isaac A. Joseph. 

President. 

M. H. Benjamins, Henry Lumley. 

Vice-President. 

Joseph Miers, Dermit Castillo. 

Treasurer. 

Lionel L. Alexander. T. Bergtheil. 

Hon. Sec. (pro. tern.) 

Moses Joseph. Henry Kisch. 

M. S. Waley. Wolf Myers. 

H. Montagu, Henry Hymans. 

. Hon. Sec. 

Morris Joseph. Michael A. Green./ 



Jewish Scholars' Life Boat Fund. 
Dear Sir, 

As representatives of the Jewish Scholars of 
the United Kingdom, and of the Jewish Scholars' Life 
Boat Fund, we beg to express to you and your family 
the sincere grief and sorrow that is felt by the Jewish 
Scholars of the United Kingdom on the sad bereavement 
you have sustained through the demise of your late 
lamented brother, Mr. Michael Henry. We, who feel 
his loss as a friend, beg to offer you our heartfelt 
sympathy. 



62 The late Michael Henry. 



Michael Henry, the true friend of the scholars, has 
departed. We are at a loss to know what to write, so 
inadequately can words convey the feelings of the 
multitude of lads who congregated on Wednesday last 
at Jews' College, to honour the memory of the man 
who, for them, had performed wonders ! The following 
resolutions were passed : — 

" i- That we (the honorary secretaries of the Life 
"Boat Fund) write to you as senior member of the 
"family, expressing the deep regret and sorrow, love 
" and respect, which was felt by the Jewish Scholars, and 
" sympathising with you in your loss. 

" 2. That, as a testimonial of the great regard which 
" was felt for the founder of the movement, as well as in 
" every Jewish philanthropic cause, the Life Boat to be 
" purchased be called the ' Michael Henry.' " 

We would that you had been there, in order that you 
might yourself have seen the grief-stricken countenances 
of these boys who have lost their best friend. 

Again, dear friends, accept our sympathetic con- 
dolence in this great trial, and may God Almighty grant 
you consolation. 

«r n « 2 f, x « n 

We have the honour to be, dear Sir, 

Your most obedient servants, 

Joseph Lambert, 
Morris J. Samuel, 

Joint Hon. Sees. Life Boat Fund, 
6, Delamere Crescent, Bayswater. 

Richd. L. Henry, Esq. 



The late Michael Henry. 63 



Jewish Association for the Diffusion of 
Religious Knowledge. 

60, Old Broad Street, 

London, July 7, 1875. 

Dear Sir, 

I am desired to transmit to you the following 
resolutions unanimously passed by the General Com- 
mittee of the above association : — 

" That this Committee deeply lament the loss 
" sustained by the demise of their esteemed colleague, 
" Mr. Michael Henry, whose kind and energetic exer- 
" tions, and most valuable intellectual labours, on behalf 
" of this Association, rendered inestimable services to 
" this institution and the community at large. 

" That this Committee desire to express and hereby 
" tender to the bereaved family of the late lamented 
" Michael Henry, their deepest sympathy and very sin- 
" cere condolence for the irreparable loss sustained of 
" one who, by his benevolence and long continued 
" public services, had justly gained the love and esteem 
" of every member of the community. 

" That a copy of these resolutions be forwarded to 
" the family of Mr. Michael Henry, and that the same 
" be advertised in the Jewish newspapers." 

I am, dear Sir, 

Faithfully yours, 

Sydney M. Samuel, 

Hon. Sec. 

Richard L. Henry, Esq. 



64 The late Michael Henry. 



United Synagogue. 

Borough New Synagogue Chambers, 

Heygate Street, Walworth, S.E., 
29TH June, 5635, 1875. 

Dear Sir, 

I am instructed to inform you that at a meet- 
ing of the Committee of the Borough New Synagogue, 
held yesterday, the following resolution was unanimously 
passed. 

" That this Committee begs to offer to the family of 
"the late Mr. Michael Henry their most sincere and 
" heartfelt condolences, on the sad loss they have 
" recently sustained." 

I have the honour to be, 
Dear Sir, 

Yours very faithfully, 

S. Singer, Secretary. 

Stepney Jewish School Children. 

Stepney Jewish Schools, 

71, Stepney Green. 

Dear Sir, 

We scarcely know what to say to you by way 
of sympathy in the great sorrow which has overtaken 
you, except that we share the loss equally with you, for 
if you have lost a loving brother, have not we, as it were, 
lost a devoted parent? one who was never weary of doing 
good to the children of the Stepney Schools. 



The late Michael Henry. 65 



Let this, then, be our prayer on this solemn and 
sorrowful occasion : that we may each one of us strive to 
live in the light of the bright example which he has 
bequeathed to us, so that we may become upright and 
conscientious men and women, and thus realize the 
prayer that he has so often prayed for us. 

May the God of Consolation be very near to you, 
and grant you a happy issue out of all your afflictions. 
(Signed) 



E. NORDON, 

C. Shmith, 

D. Sasserath, 

B. Moss, 
I. Rose, 

C. Davids, 
L. Myers, 

D. Ricardo, 
H. Abrahams, 
H. Tournoff, 
A. Jacobs, 

L. Myers, 



L. Jacobs, 
S. Friedeberg, 
A. Isaacs, 
J. Moss, 
J. De Meza. 
N. De Meza, 
A. Valentine, 
S. Sasserath, 
D. Davis, 
P. Harris, 
I. Solomons, 
J. Stern, 



On behalf of the Boys 9 School. 



Jane Norden, 
Lizzie Van Crewell, 
Rosa Duran, 
Betsy Valentine, 
Julia Valentine, 
Rebecca Nordon, 
Esther Woolf, 
Catherine Levene, 



Emma Moss, 
Celia Moss, 
Lena Cohen, 
Jane Seafield, 
Anne Abrahams, 
Matilda Marks, 
Annie Wacks, 
Harriet Volack. 



On behalf of the Girls' School. 



66 



The late Michael Henry. 



" Jewish Chronicle " Compositors. 

"Jewish Chronicle" Office, 

43, Finsbury Square, London, E.G. 
Mr. Henry. June 23, 1875. 

Sir, 

.We, the compositors employed at the Jewish 
Chronicle office, beg to express to you and, through 
you, to the other members of your family, our heartfelt 
regret at the sad fatality which resulted in the death 
of our much respected editor and friend, Mr. Michael 
Henry. 

During the period in which he filled the post of 
editor he ever endeared himself to us by his extreme 
kindness, urbanity and friendly disposition toward us. 
We assure you that his loss is acutely felt by us all, and 
his death has created a void in our midst which it will 
be difficult to fill up. 

Trusting that the Almighty will grant you strength to 
bear the heavy blow He has inflicted on you and on the 
entire community, and that he may console you in your 
affliction, we beg to remain 

Your obedients servants, 
Thomas A. Winter. Godfrey Joseph. 
Abraham De Wilde. Abraham Woolf. 
Henry Winter. Albert Cannar. 



The late Michael Henry. 



6? 



EXTRACTS FROM LETTERS OF 
CONDOLENCE. 



From Dr. B. Artom, Chief Rabbi of the Spanish 
and Portuguese congregations : — li I grieve for him, but 
" also for his family and the community. Pray, let me 
" know the time of the funeral, as I wish to pay a last 
" tribute of regard to the departed. May God give you 
" consolation." 



From Lionel L. Cohex, Esq.: — "I will not now 
" enlarge how deeply we feel with you on the loss we 
" have all sustained. It is too great to need descrip- 
" tion, and too recent to offer condolence." 



From Jacob A. Fraxklix, Esq. : — " My own special 
" experience enables me to appreciate his labours for 
" the communal welfare at a cost little understood by 
" those whose best interests he has been privileged to 
" advance. I was reminded by a warmhearted letter 
" from him, on occasion of the recent Pentecost, how 
" kind had been his consideration for my earlier 
" strivings for the same sacred cause as his feeble 
" pioneer. I little thought when he recently called to 

E 



68 



The late Michael Henry. 



" cheer me after my attack of illness that he would be 
" summoned hence before me. His yearning was, in 
" his own words, for ' rest.' Be consoled by conviction 
" that he has gone to his * reward.' " 



From Thomas Smith, Esq. : — " The brief tribute 
" paid to your late lamented brother in the Chronicle 
'* received yesterday, even with my limited acquaintance, 
" I can fully endorse, and feel assured that in addition 
" to the sad loss to your family circle, it is also a public 
" calamity to a vast concourse of your race." 



From John G. Jacob, Esq.: — "Death must come 
"to us all, but to some more painful than others; so, I 
" fear, must have been the case of Mr. Michael Henry. 
" From all I hear and know, ' he has lived respected,' 
" and * died lamented.' May we all leave as good a 
" name behind us." 



From Marcus N. Adler, Esq. :— "I have just 
"learned that the funeral of your lamented brother 
" will take place on Monday morning. 

" Permit me thus far to intrude upon the sacredness 
" of your grief to enquire whether the family would 



The late Michael Henry. 



6 9 



" permit say twelve of the Stepney School boys to carry 
"the remains of one whom they so loved to their last 
" resting place. 

" The school looked upon him as their father just as 
" he regarded them as his children, and of course they 
"will all be at Willesden to pay him their last token of 
" respect. 

" But a few days ago, after that happy gathering at 
" Stepney, he wrote to me, ' as to myself I am in the 
" seventh heaven of delight.' He is there now in truth." 



From Joseph Sebag, Esq. : — " Although only one of 
" a very numerous body of his admirers and well-wishers, 
" no one had a greater appreciation of his excellent 
" qualities. In fact I have never met with so good and 
" pure minded a person, nor one who so willingly and 
" intelligently devoted his time and energies for the 
" good of others, and, I believe, but too often forgetful 
M of himself." 



From P. Samuel, Esq. : — " I can hardly realise that 
"those eyes of his which sparkled with a lustre rarely 
u seen in mortal men are now closed for ever. I can never 
" forget the pleasant evening I passed with him in your 
" house when his inestimable mother was alive. He has 

E 2 



70 The late Michael Henry. 



" withered in all the flower of his spring. A life 
" uniting business and literature so well is not often 
" seen, and it is difficult to understand that providence 
" which removes men who can be so ill spared from 
"this world of inferior natures." 



From A. Lindo-Henry, Esq.: — "I am also glad that 
" the Stepney distribution was over, as I think of all 
" things a successful Stepney prize giving was one to 
"give him the greatest possible pleasure. While that 
" school lives his memory must live, for w r ho can forget 
" the time and labour he has spent on that institution?" 



From Esther De Costa: — "I cannot express to 
" you the shock and regret I felt when in the Times of 
" Friday I read the sad and fearful death of your 
" lamented kind and talented brother ; not only will his 
" family mourn his loss, but the Jewish community, for 
" he devoted so much of his time and abilities for the 
" benefit of his co-religionists, that his early demise is a 
"national loss. It is sad to think that one in the prime 
" of health, strength and usefulness should be removed 
" from among us ; but we may be sure that his good 
" deeds and kind heart have obtained for him everlasting 



The late Michael Henry. 



71 



" happiness in the next world, and a permanent memo- 
" rial in this, which in time to come will be a consolation 
" to the bereaved ones that now mourn his loss." 



From Alex. Prince, Patent Agent (to Mrs. R. L. 
Henry) : — " 1 beg to express our deep sympathy with the 
"suddenly sad loss of Mr. Henry's brother, of which I 
" was only this day informed at the Government Patent 
" Office. I read the melancholy account in the papers, 
"but was not aware it was your relative." 

From Sir Moses Montefiore, Bart, (to Mr. Lewis 
Emanuel) : — " I have been deeply grieved and shocked 
" by the sad intelligence of the death of our lamented 
" friend Michael Henry, and the terrible accident which 
" occasioned ,It. I feel deeply for his relatives in so 
" distressing a bereavement, and their sorrow is shared 
" by the entire community, who deplore the loss of one 
" of its chief ornaments. I should feel glad if you could 
" take an opportunity of making known to the family how 
" warmly I sympathise with them, and how sincerely I 
u lament the death of our esteemed friend." 



72 



The lale Michael Henry. 



From Wm. Black (to his brother): — "I felt very much 
" when I read about Michael Henry. I know nothing 
" but what appeared in the papers ; but I do know that 
" a kinder, more unassuming, and, so far as I can judge, 
" a more talented man in his own profession hardly 
"existed. I am sure, from my very little acquaintance 
" with him, that his friends who knew him intimately 
" must mourn his loss very deeply." 



The Members of the Sheffield Hebrew Congregation 
held a meeting on Sunday last, at which resolutions 
were passed expressing sorrow at the death of Mr. 
Michael Henry (who was formerly representative of the 
congregation at the Board of Deputies) and condolence 
with his family. It was also resolved to open a sub- 
scription to assist in carrying out the contemplated 
memorial.' All our continental and American Jewish 
contemporaries contain biographical notices of the late 
Mr. Henry. The Magid, Wochenschrift and Hebrew 
Leader add some sympathetic comments on the benevo- 
lent career of the deceased. The Jewish Record, of 
Philadelphia, Jewish Messenger and Hebrew Leader, of 
New York, insert the announcements of his death 
between black borders. 



The late Michael Henry, 



73 



"London Sun," September 5, 1874. 

SOME EMINENT JEWS. 
Mr. Michael Henry, the editor of the Jewish Chronicle, 
was born at Eltham House, Kennington, in 1830. He 
received his education at the City of London School, in 
which several now distinguished Jews underwent their 
scholastic training. , Here he gained numerous distinc- 
tions, and at an early age exhibited a taste for literature. 
Mr. Henry is a son of the late Emma Henry, a gifted 
and accomplished writer, whose poems, published in 
1 8 14, comprised the first printed work issued by an Eng- 
lish lady of the Jewish faith. These poems were well 
received by the newspapers of the period. Mr. Michael 
Henry in the earlier part of his life was the sub-editor of 
the Mechanics' Magazine, the first cheap scientific journal, 
of which the late Mr. Clinton Robertson, one of the 
compilers of the " Percy Anecdotes," was editor. Mr. 
Henry has also written some very valuable articles for 
the Mining Journal, and has contributed to several 
leading periodicals. He edited the Inventors' 1 Almanac, 
and wrote a defence of the Patent Law, which he dedi- 
cated to the late Lord Westbury. He was also the 
author of the war song, " Go forth thou gallant fleet," 
which appeared in the Weekly Dispatch in 1856, and of 
the letter on the " Registration, of Trade Marks," pub- 
lished in the Journal of the Society of Arts, and which 



74 



The late Michael Henry. 



led to the Government taking action in the matter. The 
ultimate result of Mr. Henry's letter was the formation 
of a Registration of Trade Marks Committee, and a 
bill proposed in Parliament, but not passed. Mr. Henry 
occupies numerous positions in the Jewish community, 
all of an honorary character. He is most genial and 
attractive in manner, and his largeness of heart has 
gained for him an extensive circle of friends and ad- 
mirers. As the editor of the Jewish Chronicle he is 
naturally possessed of great influence, and, indeed, Mr. 
Henry is one of the most popular and best-beloved 
Jews in London. He is a bachelor, but his love for 
his fellow creatures is not in the least diminished by 
that fact. The Jewish Chronicle has now been estab- 
lished over thirty years, and has always been noted for 
its respectability. It is well written, and its articles vie 
with the compositions of many general papers. But it 
must be confessed that its enunciations are somewhat 
one-sided, all matters relating to the Jews being chroni- 
cled from the most favourable point of view. From a 
perusal of its pages it might be imagined that Israelites 
were, for the most part, a body of immaculate individuals, 
not burdened with the iniquities of the rest of living 
creatures. On questions of Jewish communal import, 
the Chronicle does not state its opinions altogether im- 
partially, and those affairs which do not conduce to the 
credit of the Jews, it ignores altogether. This is no 



The late Michael Henry. 



75 



fault of Mr. Henry, who, personally, is one of the most 
independent and fair-play-loving men alive. The pro- 
prietors of that journal, however, are men of importance 
in the community, and as such have certain notions to 
which they are desirous of giving publicity. On the 
whole, the Jewish Chronicle is an excellent periodical, 
and much of the success it has attained is due in no 
small degree to the talents of Mr. Michael Henry, its 
able and respected conductor. 



"Jewish World," October i, 1875, in Review 
of Year 5635. 



In June last, Michael Henry, after fearful suffering 
caused by an accident, breathed his last, and the Jews of 
England were plunged in mourning. The great good 
man, with his large honest heart brimming over with 
the milk of human kindness, is gone ! Who will take 
his place remains to be seen. 



"Jewish Chronicle," July 9, 1875. 



The echo of our laments over the death of the late 
Michael Henry is beginning to reach our shores. The 
first resounded in the Archives Israelites. Mr. Alexandre 



76 The late Michael Henry. 



Weill, in the July number, gives a brief biographical 
sketch of the deceased, characterising him as gentle and 
affable, having no enemies, but, above all, as most con- 
scientious in the fulfilment of his duties. Several of the 
Berlin daily papers and the Amsterdam Jewish journals 
have also published biographical notices of the late 
Mr. Henry. 



"Jewish World," March 19, 1875. 



We sincerely regret that Mr. Michael Henry has 
been compelled, through pressure of private business, to 
resign the post of Honorary Secretary of the Stepney 
Jewish Schools. The Committee of this institution can 
ill-afford to lose the services of a gentleman whose exer- 
tions have vastly assisted in the promotion of education 
among the Jews in the East-end of London. Mr. Henry 
has been more than a mere honorary official ; he has 
been the life and soul of the schools, and has displayed 
an interest in their welfare altogether unprecedented in 
the careers of honorary secretaries. With all due defer- 
ence to the successor of Mr. Henry, we venture to 
predict that it will be many years before we "look upon 
his like again." Not a master has been engaged in 
the schools, and not a pupil has ever crossed their 
threshhold, but who is ready to testify to the invariable 



The late Michael Henry. 



77 



kindness and courtesy with which he discharged the 
duties of his office. His pleasant and genial manner has 
endeared him to all classes of society ; and Mr. Henry 
to-day enjoys the very enviable distinction of being one 
of the best beloved men in the Anglo-Jewish community. 
We trust, for the sake of the Stepney Jewish Schools, 
that he will not entirely withdraw himself from partici- 
pation in the work of the institution. True, the impetus 
which he has given to the schools will cause them to 
nourish, still we should be sorry to see the captain retire 
from the vessel now that it is steered safely into port. 




L'BRARY OF CONGRESS 



